The transition from paper to digital

We live in an increasingly digital age. A lot of things are transferred from paper to digital. The files at the doctor's but also the newspaper appears more and more digital. And what about signing letters? Many institutions provide an email address where you can send the signed document. This is much faster than the old-fashioned carrier pigeon! Yet there is still much resistance to the digitization of data among older people. They often want to pay by post or with a giro slip instead of via internet banking. But nothing reads as pleasantly as a paper newspaper.

How do you go from paper to digital?

If you want to start switching from paper to digital, you first have to make sure that everything is available digitally. You can do this by scanning papers from your folder into the computer, for example. These days you can also put these in the cloud. This saves storage space on the computer. But it also saves shelves in your closet. So you can store more of your stuff. Opinions are divided about going from paper to digital but the majority has already taken the first steps. It goes further than you probably suspect. 

Who or what offers digital services?

Large national bodies are even participating in the transition by placing messages in the message box only. The message box is a digital platform for the government, institutions and municipalities. But even filling in a payment slip is no longer necessary. You can simply do this from your mobile phone or computer via internet banking. More and more institutions are switching from paper to digital. Many questionnaires and reimbursements from health insurers can be viewed online. This is a great way to save energy and paper.

The digital documentation

Many companies now give you the opportunity to view your documents digitally. But you can also print them or sign them digitally. So they too have gone from paper to digital. There are different types of software available for companies. They allow you to record sensitive information such as transactions or personal data in a secure manner. They can also create a digital archive where customers can find signed contracts or invoices.

The paper to digital transition for businesses

You want all aspects of your business to be organised as safely and efficiently as possible. But of course you also want your files to be safe, so that not everyone can access them. An example of this is scanning to the cloud and securing it with a password. But there are also more and more CRM systems that support this function. If everything is fully set up you can inform your customers and start sending them login codes. You can also ask your customers if they want to receive digital mail only in the future. This of course also saves the environment. A switch from paper to digital is a sustainable choice.

What is digitizing and how do you do it?

When you are ready for the transformation from paper to digital, it is important to know the following. For example, digitization stands for the transition from paper to digital. It is the first step towards a better environment and faster communication with your customers. But also more and more customers want to use this service therefore you can't stay behind anymore. Digital transformation goes one step further. With this process you also look at how you set up the cloud or software as efficiently as possible for customer and employee. You want to help the customer as quickly as possible but the employee must also be able to find the solution quickly.

Digital questionnaires

Even questionnaires from doctors or institutions have gone from paper to digital. There is also more and more smart software with which you can fill this in digitally, for example. But also some printers or scanners have smart OCR software. With this software they recognize the number of answers or what the answers are. They then convert this into a number or value. You can also check signatures with this software. However, it is a creative process so think carefully about what data you need and how you want to arrange the answers. The other advantage of digitization is the environment with which you save a lot on energy and paper. This is why this is also seen as a sustainable choice.